Nightmares
by The Alice Killer - Storm
Summary: Riko has nightly nightmares and Aqours wants to help her stop having them


For as long as Riko could remember, she always had horrid nightmares. They weren't your normal ones. These ones would wake her up screaming her lungs out. No matter what they did or who they talked to, no one could help her.

The worst part was, it was always the same type of nightmare. There's a reason Riko is afraid of dogs. She had a bad encounter with one. It was so bad that she developed permanent trauma from it. Her nightmares were that trauma.

Her mind would play the scenario out and then change it slightly every time just to be sure Riko couldn't predict it at all. Riko didn't know what to do. She eventually found a stuffed animal that would keep the nightmares away.

Now, there was a bit of a problem. She didn't have her stuffed animal with her.

Riko was with Aqours at their first training camp as nine. This was the first time they weren't just at someone's house. Riko couldn't just run home and grab her animal if she forgot it. Riko was terrified to sleep.

She didn't want to face her nightmare again. Especially not around Aqours. What would they think of her? Riko felt they'd laugh at her for her nightmares. She didn't want that at all. She finally found friends.

"Everyone had better get some rest. If you're falling asleep at practice tomorrow, that's your fault and you will not be spared from any practice." Dia told everyone firmly.

They all settled down onto the sleeping mats. They were staying at a house that Dia's family owned. It was pretty big. They all were in the living room together. The mats were in pairs of two with one lone one.

Riko laid down and stared at the ceiling. The light turned off. Everyone else was shifting into a sleeping position. Riko curled up into a ball and tried to think of something she could do to keep herself awake. She didn't want to sleep.

It wasn't too long before she was the only one still awake. Riko could feel her eyes drooping. She was tired. Riko shook her head to try and wake herself up. Some members started snoring. Chika was the main one. Yoshiko was talking to herself in her sleep.

Riko tried to focus on those noises. She was trying desperately to stay awake. Her eyes were heavy. She couldn't keep them from falling. It wasn't long before she was asleep.

Riko was standing by her house. She was waiting for her friend to come. As she was waiting, barking sounded in the distance. Riko ignored it, as it wasn't uncommon. The barking grew louder.

Riko turned to see a dog running toward her. It was a big dog, most likely with husky blood in it. The dog was barking and growling. Riko was frozen in place as the dog jumped onto her. The dog started to viciously snap at her.

Riko put her arms in front of her face to try and protect herself. The dog bit down on one of her arms and there was a loud crunch. The dog had bitten down so hard it broke the bone. Next, the dog got her face. It snarled and snapped its jaw down right on her mouth.

Riko woke up screaming. Her scream woke everyone else up. Riko curled into a ball and started crying. She was shaking as she pressed a pillow over her face to try and muffle her sobs.

The rest of Aqours looked at each other for a moment, until they all came to look at Riko. It became clear who the scream belonged to.

Chika got up and sat down beside Riko, "Riko-chan? Are you okay?"

Riko couldn't form a response. She just cried even harder. Chika hesitantly placed a hand on Riko's shoulder. Riko flinched at the touch and started thrashing. Chika let out a yelp as Riko punched her.

Chika backed away. Riko soon stopped thrashing and went back to just shaking. Everyone shared concerned looks. They knew that whatever was going on was bad.

"Deep breaths, Riko-chan. Take deep breaths." Yō tried her luck at calming Riko down.

Riko tried to do it. She was sobbing too much to really do it. Yō kept gently encouraging her to breathe. Eventually, Riko managed to calm enough. She looked up at Yō with teary eyes.

"You're okay, Riko-chan... the nightmare is over." Yō soothed.

Riko slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. Chika handed her a glass of water. While Yō had been working with Riko, Chika had gone to get the water. Riko took small sips of the water. Hanamaru came over and handed Riko some tissues. Riko took them and tried to dry her face off.

The rest of Aqours soon sat in a half circle around her. No one spoke. They all waited until Riko spoke.

"I'm sorry..." Riko whispered.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"For waking you guys up..."

"It's not your fault, Riko-chan." Chika stated.

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare?" Mari asked.

Riko looked down at the ground. She didn't want to talk. She didn't know how they would react to her. Riko never liked telling people about her nightmares. She tended to get laughed at and told to grow up.

"It helps when you talk about it."

"I... it's a stupid thing..." Riko mumbled.

"It's not a stupid thing." Everyone protested.

Riko took a deep breath, "Um... you know how I'm afraid of dogs?"

Everyone nodded, thinking back to the first time Riko met Shiitake. That was not a good day. The moment Riko saw her, she started having a panic attack. Even if Shiitake showed no aggression toward her, Riko was still terrified. Any dog of significant size terrified her. Shiitake was no exception.

"Well... when I was younger, I... I got attacked by one." Riko started off.

"Are you willing to give details?" Dia asked.

Riko took a shaky breath, "I... I ended up in the hospital for two weeks... the dog... it... it broke my arm... and left a lot of severe puncture wounds on my legs..."

"Oh my god..." Chika let out a soft gasp and pulled Riko into a hug, "I can't believe a dog could do so much damage."

"It was a really big dog... we found out it was a guard and hunting dog... there's a reason it was so powerful." Riko mumbled as she tensed up at the embrace.

Chika rubbed Riko's back, "I can see why you freaked so bad when you met Shiitake now."

"Do you have these nightmares a lot?" Yoshiko asked.

Riko fiddled with the blanket on her legs, "I... I used to have them daily. I found that if I sleep with a stuffed animal, I won't have it."

"Have you gone to see about getting help?"

Riko nodded, "We've tried everything. Nothing's ever worked."

"I have an idea!" Yō said.

"What is it?" Everyone looked over at Yō.

"Well, for tonight, how about someone sleeps with her?" Yō suggested.

"What is that going to do?"

"I was just thinking that maybe it isn't the animal itself that's doing it. Maybe it's the feeling of holding something. It's worth a shot, isn't it?" Yō explained.

Riko couldn't bring her eyes up to meet anyone's gaze, "It's fine... I'll just stay up..."

"Buu buu! That will not do. You need rest just like everyone else." Dia sternly told her.

"I don't want to bother you guys..." Riko mumbled.

"You aren't. We want to help you get better, Riko-chan. But, we can't if you won't let us in." Chika stated.

Riko stood up, "I'm going outside for a bit."

Everyone sat there and watched her as she exited out to the porch. They all shared concerned glances. Everyone was worried about Riko.

"What do we do?" Chika asked.

"Maybe we just need to approach this a different way." Kanan offered, "I can't help but think we might be pushing her."

"I doubt she'll be in for a while. Who's volunteering to stay with her? We'll try as Yō-chan suggested." Mari spoke up.

"What if she doesn't want someone?" Ruby asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"She's going to need to be convinced otherwise. Anyone up for the challenge?" Mari asked.

All eyes turned to Kanan. She was the notorious hugger, after all. This was right up her alley. Kanan sighed as she realized she was getting stuck with the job.

After an hour, Riko finally came back in. Everyone else was asleep, or so she thought. Riko sat back down at her bed. She hugged herself. A figure moved close by. Riko turned and saw that Kanan was still awake. Kanan sat beside Riko.

"You alright?" Kanan asked.

Riko nodded, "I'm fine..."

"You really should try and sleep." Kanan said.

Riko shook her head, "No. I'm not trying."

"Please?" Kanan pleaded.

"I don't want to... I'll just wake everyone up again..." Riko mumbled.

"How about you just try? We really won't mind if you wake us up again." Kanan stated.

"I don't want to see it... I'm scared..." Riko hugged her legs against her chest.

Kanan rested a hand onto Riko's shoulder, "You know what Yō suggested we try. How about you at least let me sleep next to you?"

"As long as I'm not forced to hug you..." Riko said.

"You don't have to. Just let me be near. Maybe that'll help a little." Kanan replied.

"I guess..." Riko mumbled.

Riko hesitantly laid down. Kanan laid down beside her. They had a little bit of distance between them. Riko didn't really want to sleep. She was afraid to.

"I'll stay up until you fall asleep." Kanan told Riko.

"You don't have to..." Riko said.

"I know. But, I want to. And, don't be afraid to wake any of us up if you need something." Kanan said in reply.

"Okay. Goodnight, Kanan-chan..." Riko whispered as she closed her eyes.

"Goodnight, Riko-chan." Kanan whispered back.

Riko stayed still and prayed she could pretend to be asleep. She didn't want to sleep still. Riko was going to try and trick Kanan.

Kanan seemed to have fallen for it as it wasn't too long after that that she heard soft snores coming from beside her. Riko turned to look and saw Kanan curled up on her side sleeping peacefully. Riko envied her. She could fall asleep without any worry. Riko wished she was that lucky.

Kanan slept soundlessly. Riko stared up at the ceiling. She was tired. She really wanted to go to bed. She knew that wasn't possible. Riko didn't want to face the nightmare again.

She looked back over at Kanan. Riko couldn't help but wonder if having her close would truly help. She wanted that to be the case. She didn't want to have the nightmare.

Riko hesitantly moved closer to Kanan. Kanan stayed fast asleep. Riko could feel her heart beating. She was extremely close to Kanan. Riko closed her eyes and allowed herself to sleep. She hoped Yō had been right.

The next morning, Riko woke up first. She tried to stretch, but realized she couldn't move. Riko looked and saw that at some point, she and Kanan had ended up hugging. Riko carefully moved out of Kanan's grip. She grabbed her phone to see what time it was. It was only 5 AM. They didn't need to get up until 8 AM.

Riko set her phone back down. She laid down again. Riko didn't know what to think. She hadn't had the nightmare. This was the first time she didn't have it while not using her stuffed animal.

Riko looked at Kanan. She cracked a small smile as she snuggled close. Riko was a little more alright with the hugging thing now that it was proven to work. Riko felt an arm wrap around her and pull her closer.

"Had any nightmares?"

Riko looked up at Kanan and shook her head. Kanan smiled. That was exactly what they all had hoped for.

"Well, we don't need to get up yet. You wanna sleep some more?" Kanan asked.

"Yeah..." Riko mumbled as she pressed her face against Kanan's chest.

Kanan ran a hand through Riko's hair, "Rest up. It's going to be a busy day."

Riko nodded and closed her eyes. She felt protected. She was glad this was working. Kanan kept brushing Riko's hair. It wasn't long before the two of them fell back to sleep.

When the time to get up came around, Dia was the first one up. She sat up and looked around. Everyone else was still asleep, despite the alarm that was going off. Dia sighed as she turned it off. She had to manually wake them now.

Dia got up and started to shake everyone awake. She then told them to get changed and do something. Some were told to start putting away the beds. Others were told to go make breakfast.

When Dia reached Riko's bed, she couldn't help but smile a little. Riko and Kanan were still cuddling and asleep. Dia shook them awake.

Kanan sat up and stretched. Riko was flushed red in embarrassment. She hesitantly sat up as well.

"How did you sleep?" Dia asked Riko.

"It was fine..." Riko mumbled, "I didn't have a nightmare."

"That's good. Go and get changed. Breakfast should, hopefully, be done soon." Dia told them.

From then on, Aqours would always nominate someone to stay with Riko whenever they were having a sleepover. Riko kept saying she could just bring her stuffed animal, but it was always shot down. They wanted to help her themselves.

After a month, Chika asked Riko if she'd be willing to try and get over her fear of dogs. Chika explained that she thought if Riko got better with dogs, then maybe she wouldn't have those nightmares again. Riko hesitantly agreed to try.

So, one day, they and all of Aqours, met up at Chika's house. Shiitake was just inside the house. Once Riko was ready, Chika would let her out. Shiitake would be on a leash, even if she wouldn't ever attack. It was just to try and give Riko a bit more security.

"Are you ready, Riko-chan?" Chika asked.

"I... I'm scared..." Riko said.

Yō moved over and held one of Riko's hands, "It'll be alright. We're all here."

Riko took a deep breath and squeezed Yō's hand back, "I guess we can try..."

Chika slowly opened the door and called Shiitale out. Riko held her breath and tensed up as she came out. Chika held her back so she was only right by the door. It would be a while before she let Shiitake get closer to Riko.

Riko tightened her grip on Yō's hand as she stared at Shiitake. She was frozen in place. Riko took a step back. Shiitake sat there and just wagged her tail. Riko gulped as she hesitantly returned to her regular spot. She didn't let go of her grip on Yō's hand.

Everything seemed like it was going well, until Shiitake barked. It wasn't a very long or loud bark, but it was enough. Riko let out a scream and fell backwards. Instantly Yō was at her side hugging her tightly. Riko gripped Yō tightly as she started shaking and crying.

Chika took Shiitake back inside and then ran over to Riko. She hugged her as well.

"You did really good, Riko-chan..." Yō whispered, "You did amazing for your first time..."

It took a few minutes before Riko calmed down enough to talk. She just asked if she could go home. Chika and Yō walked her home and stayed with her. Everyone else was told they should go home.

Every week or so, they would try again. Riko was slowly getting more confident with Shiitake. She was just too afraid to move closer. The barking no longer really affected her. Today was the day Riko was going to try and touch Shiitake.

"You can do this, Riko-chan." Chika stated as she brought Shiitake out of the house.

"I'm right here. You'll be okay." Yō patted Riko's back.

Yō was going to be right beside Riko just incase she ended up fainting. They weren't too sure what might happen once Riko started getting closer. Kanan was also beside Riko. Since Kanan and Yō were the strongest Aqours members, they were asked to stay by Riko just in case something happened.

Riko gulped as she took one step closer. She didn't move for a while. Yō tried her best to encourage Riko to keep going. Riko eventually took another step. She was starting to breathe heavily.

Riko could feel tears pricking at the edges of her eyes. She wanted to run away and cry. She didn't want to do this. Riko didn't care to get over her fear. She was fine with how she was. Riko tried to convince herself it was easier than changing, despite how painful it was for her.

After a while, Riko finally moved forward once again. Everyone had thought she'd given up. Riko could feel herself starting to shake slightly. She couldn't help it as she looked at Shiitake. Riko was getting closer to her. A few more steps and she could reach out and touch her.

"You got this, Riko-chan." Yō whispered in her ear.

Riko gulped and stepped forward again. Everyone was watching her closely. They all were concerned. They doubted she'd be able to touch Shiitake without any issues.

Riko took one more step closer. She could touch Shiitake from where she stood. Riko didn't like that at all. She wanted nothing more then to cower away. She knew that wasn't possible with everyone there. They wanted her to try.

Riko hesitantly moved closer. Shiitake started to wag her tail as she watched Riko. She assumed Riko was there to pet her. Riko froze up. She couldn't bring herself to move in any direction. Chika knelt down beside Shiitake and started to calmly pet her.

"See, Riko-chan? Shiitake isn't going to hurt you." Chika tried to encourage Riko to move forward.

Riko watched as Chika happily pet Shiitake. Shiitake was enjoying it. Riko didn't know what to do. She knew she should try and go closer, but she didn't want to. She'd never been this close to a dog since that day.

"Why don't you just let Shiitake sniff your hand?" Yō asked.

Riko shook her head. She couldn't do it. She didn't want her hand being that close to Shiitake's mouth. Riko was terrified she'd get bitten if she did that.

"Please?" Yō pleaded, "I'll hold your hand."

Riko didn't get a chance to answer. Yō gently took her hand and guided it toward Shiitake. Yō kept her hand covering Riko's just in case Shiitake decided to lick.

Yō held their hands out to Shiitake. Shiitake sniffed them and then barked. Riko was paralyzed in fear as she watched. Shiitake licked at Yō's hand. Yō pulled away after that and looked at Riko.

Riko had gone completely pale. She was spacing out. Yō tapped Riko on the shoulder. Riko blinked and snapped back to reality. She backed away while hugging herself tightly. Kanan held her from backing away too far.

Chika took Shiitake back into the house. Riko was shaking as she pressed herself close to Kanan. Yō hugged her and tried to calm her down.

"You did really good, Riko-chan. You did a lot better than we thought you would." Yō stated.

Riko started crying. She finally felt like she could let her emotions out. Chika came back and ran over to hug Riko as she broke down into a sobbing mess. It took a while, but she eventually calmed down.

Riko didn't want to try again after that. She kept avoiding them trying to make her do it again. Riko was too afraid.

One night, she and Chika had to do a project. Riko's mom was out of the house and made Riko spend the night with Chika. Not good for her. Riko spotted Shiitake outside the back door where she was told to enter.

Riko stood frozen in place. She quickly tried to pull her phone out to text Chika, but it had died on her. Riko cursed. She had no way to do this. The front was locked up already. She had to go past Shiitake to get inside.

Riko wondered if she just waited long enough, that maybe Chika would come out looking for her. Riko didn't know. Chika might not think to. Riko gulped as she moved closer.

Shiitake didn't seem to see her yet. Riko prayed she could slip past without her noticing. It didn't last long. Shiitake spotted her. Riko hoped that Shiitake would bark. She assumed that would remind Chika of the issue. Shiitake didn't bark at all.

Riko gulped and took another step forward. She froze when she saw how long the leash reached. Any closer and Shiitake could touch her. Riko made a "stay" motion with her hands as she walked another step closer.

Shiitake stayed put for a while. After a few more steps, however, she got up and moved closer to Riko. Riko froze in place. The images from that day were flashing in her mind. Riko knew she should run, but she couldn't move.

Shiitake came right up to Riko. She looked up at Riko almost as if she was waiting for something. Riko didn't know what to do. This was too close for her.

Riko realized soon that Shiitake hadn't done anything. Riko looked down and saw that she was calmly sitting at her feet. Riko hesitantly moved her hand to Shiitake's face. Shiitake sniffed Riko's hand and then rubbed against it. Riko tensed up. After a few minutes, she managed to relax. Shiitake hadn't hurt her at all.

Riko placed her hand on Shiitake's head. Shiitake wagged her tail in reply. Riko slowly started petting her. Shiitake barked happily. Riko slowly relaxed. Shiitake didn't seem threatening to her anymore. Riko stopped after a minute and made her way to the door. Shiitake walked beside her.

Riko knocked on the door and waited. Crashing sounded and then the door opened. Chika was there, looking disheveled.

"Um... are you okay?" Riko asked.

"Yeah. Sorry." Chika chuckled.

Shiitake brushed past Chika and walked inside. Chika's eyes widened. She remembered now. She looked at Riko.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry. I totally forgot about that." Chika apologized as she hugged Riko.

"I'm fine." Riko reassured her.

Shiitake came back after drinking from her water bowl. She walked up to them and barked. Chika let go of Riko. She knelt down beside Shiitake and was instantly licked. Chika made an 'eww' noise. Riko laughed as she knelt down beside Chika.

Shiitake barked and licked Riko's face as well. Riko made the same sound Chika did. Chika looked up. She saw that Riko didn't seem tense at all. She was even more surprised when Riko accepted Shiitake's kisses.

"Did something happen?" Chika asked as she helped Riko escape Shiitake's slobber.

"I guess... I had to get past Shiitake to get to the door." Riko said, "I guess maybe dogs aren't all bad."

"What did you do?"

"I managed to pet Shiitake." Riko stated.

"Oh my god! I'm so proud of you!" Chika hugged Riko tightly.

After nearly being crushed to death, Riko and Chika finally went to work on the project. Chika decided to send a message to their chat to tell everyone the news. Riko didn't want her to do that at the time. She knew that meant more distractions and less of them working.

"You did it, Riko-chan. You've finally gotten over a part of your fear." Chika smiled.

"Yeah..." Riko nodded.

"Do you think maybe you'll try some more?" Chika asked.

Riko shrugged, "I guess..."

"I promise we'll only use Shiitake unless you want to try a different dog. We could go to the animal shelter if you truly wanted to." Chika said.

"I don't think I'm quite ready to be around that many dogs..." Riko said quietly.

"That's fine. We'll work this out slowly."

That was the first night Riko didn't have the nightmare despite not being close to Chika.


End file.
